Has your Meeting approved a Minute or Statement on Marriage Equality?

Many Friends meetings have minuted their loving support of same-gender marriage. There is now an opportunity to voice support for a Pennsylvania House bill that would afford such marriages the same legal legitimacy as heterosexual ones.

HB 1686, introduced by Rep Brian Sims, was referred to Judiciary Committee in mid-October. If your meeting is clear on its support of marriage equality, please consider sending a letter to Governor Corbett (who is strongly opposed), and if your representative is one of the bill’s 34 co-sponsors (bill sponsors listed online), writing to thank them.

On November 9, Interim Meeting affirmed the authority of Philadelphia Quarter to work with other quarters to urge monthly meetings in PA to take action on this legislation. In addition, the Quarter is collecting minutes and statements on same gender marriage from quarters and meetings throughout the Yearly Meeting. The Quarter encourages meetings who are not yet clear on the issue to consider engaging in a discernment process.

Has your meeting approved such a minute or statement? Do you have a story to tell? Do you have ideas of what would be helpful to meetings who have not yet become clear? Please send your minutes, stories, and suggestions to Philadelphia Quarter at philaqtr@pym.org.

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About Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is a Quaker faith community, an association of 103 Quaker meetings, and an organization - all working together to nurture Quaker faith and practice in today’s world.

Quakerism is a faith of personal experience and direct communion with God, a faith of continuing revelation; and a faith of living our values in the secular world. All who seek to deepen their spiritual lives are welcome!